Gemotions

The air in the library felt thick, stifling. Clara, usually a voracious reader, found herself unable to focus on a single sentence. James, the “successful writer” who had supposedly just signed a major publishing deal, had been exposed. He was a bus driver.

She’d always envisioned their future; literary events and writerly conventions. She’d adored his wit, his apparent knowledge of the craft. Now, the weight of the revelation settled on her, a physical pressure on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

She traced the spines of the books, each title blurred and meaningless. She wanted to crawl into her bed and sleep until the world ended. The lie had poisoned everything.